Teardrops
by Gotham's Princess
Summary: Tim and Cassie talk, or try to. oneshot.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters mentioned in this fic. They all belong to DC Comics, owned by Time Warner.

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**Title:** Teardrops  
**Summary:** Tim and Cassie talk, or atleast try to.  
**Rating:** T  
**Characters:** Cassie Sandsmark, Tim Drake  
**Pairing:** Tim/Cassie  
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The first things Cassie notices when she wakes up is that it is still dark outside and her window is open. She shivers as the cool air blows in, but it isn't because of the cold—it's the fact that she knows that her window was closed before she went to sleep. She jumps out of bed, and readies herself for battle, but is till surprised when someone grabs her from behind. She is about to break his arm until he utters, "It's me."

"Tim?" She spins out of the intruders grasp to see a Tim—no, Robin—standing before her. "What the hell do you think you are doing? Sneaking into my room? Grabbing me? I could have killed you."

Normally, she would have been screaming at him, and she wants to, but it's nearly three in the morning and she doesn't think her mother would welcome the wake-up call, or the intruder. Whispering would have to work.

"You wanted to talk. Let's talk." Robin states this as if it is the most normal thing in the world.

_Damn, stupid, Bats. _"At three in the morning? Are you insane?"

He shrugs, and Cassie shakes her head. He's infuriating, and she wants to send him through the wall, but she doesn't, because Tim is here, and she doesn't know if she'll get this chance again. She's not stupid. She'll take what she can get. "Okay…talk."

"You want me to start?" He seems uncomfortable. Good.

"You came here and woke me up. You begin." She crosses her arms, unaware of the effect it puts on her breasts. Tim seems perfectly aware, however, ever the detective. She huffs when she catches him staring, and hastily throws a sweatshirt that had been discarded on the floor over her seemingly-too-revealing tank top. Tim remains silent. She sighs. "Fine. I'll give you a place to start. Talk about us."

"Is there an us?" He seems unsure, something unusual for the boy wonder.

"There's something."

"We were emotional distraught and sought comfort from the closest person. That comfort happened to be us kissing. It was nothing more, Cassie."

"Would you quit with your damn Bat-logic!" Her voices raises, but she tries to lower it. "You sure as hell know there was something more behind that kiss or it wouldn't be affecting us the way it is!"

Tim frowns, and his shoulders sink. He doesn't seem happy. "What do you want me to say? That I enjoyed it? That I haven't even been able to forget about what happened, no matter how much I try? That no matter how much I want to get involved, I know I can't because you would inevitably be hurt?"

He seems shocked at his sudden outburst, and takes a step back. Cassie reaches out for him, but he pushes her away.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea, Cassie." He begins to move, but she finally manages to get a good grasp on his arm. Her strength keeps him from moving too far away.

"I think this is why we need talk." She's still holding his arm and won't let go. She doesn't trust him to not run. "Why do you think I'll be hurt? I think I'm stronger than that."

He takes a labored breath, as if he is unsure he wants to continue. There is a long pregnant pause, and Cassie considers giving up on Tim. Then, he speaks. "Haven't you noticed it?"

"Noticed what?" She is confused.

"Everyone…everyone I get close to dies." He is shaking, and she realizes he is crying.

She moves toward him. "Tim, that isn't true…"

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT ISN'T TRUE! YOU KNOW IT'S THE DAMN TRUTH!" He's angry, hurt, and shouting, but Cassie no longer cares about the noise. She no longer cares about waking her mother. All she cares about is Tim.

"Tim…Tim…"

"My dad died. Stephanie died. Dana, Conner, and…and…Bart." He's barely whispers the last word, and if she didn't have any sort of meta-human hearing, she wouldn't have heard him. "They're gone."

"Tim…that's not your fault." Cassie embraces him, and presses her forehead to his to look into his eyes. He crying, and she realizes that she is as well. "You didn't—" she hates to say the word, "—_kill_ them. It wasn't your fault."

He is shaking. She's never seen him so vulnerable. "Tim, you need to talk to someone about this! Have you talked to Bruce? Dick?"

She wonders why she's saying this, because she knows that Batman is never a touchy-feely person, and she also knows that Tim compartmentalizes. She wonders if she's the first person who her revealed his feeling to. She doesn't know how that makes her feel.

"Tim…when Conner died…" she chokes on her own words for a moment, "when he died…I had no idea what to do. I joined a cult, but I…got help…Mr. Dibny…he was there for me. I'm a lot better now…It may not seem like it, but I am. You need help. You know what happens when—"

She doesn't want to think what'll happen if he doesn't get help, if he doesn't talk to someone, but she does anyway, and he somehow realizes this. He angrily pushes out of her arms, and she can see the tears on his face—the tears that his mask can't hide.

"You think I'll go crazy, don't you? You think I can't handle everything, don't you?" Cassie has no idea what's come over him, and trembles slightly. She's afraid. "Let me guess you think I'll snap, then try to rewrite history to my own liking, killing my friends in the process and—"

She slaps him, and he falls to the ground. She isn't sure where this burst of energy came from, but she appreciates it while she has it. "Shut up! Don't you dare talk like that! That isn't you Tim! That isn't you!"

She stares at her as if he's never seen her before. She tries to alleviate the situation. "Plus, Tim, I don't think Hal Jordan will appreciate your little allusion."

Cassie walks towards Tim, and once again embraces him. "I had no idea you were feeling this way."

She wonders if he'll once again push her away, but is surprised when he wraps his arms around her waist. "Last year…after the Crisis…I had to get away…I thought pushing you away would make things better…That maybe I could find a way to stop it. Shows how much that helped."

They collapse to the floor, against the wall, still holding on to one another. It begins to rain, and Cassie can feel the cool water on her skin, blowing through the window. Neither of them move.

"I'm sorry, Cassie. Sorry for everything. I didn't want to come here." He flinches when he says this, as if he is afraid of her reaction.

"Then why are you here?" Cassie tentatively asks. She reaches for his hand.

"I don't know. I was thinking about Conner and my dad. Then Bart. I…needed someone, and I turned up here." Tim looks down, now embarrassed.

"You came to me? Even after I kicked you through a fence?"

"Yeah. You're…my best friend." Tim pulls her closer, warming her skin, shielding her from the rain.

"You're not completely forgiven, you know." She knows she needs to tell him this. She's still angry at him for leaving.

"You're still not forgiven either." He states, mirroring her.

The wounds they left each other with were not completely healed as of yet, and Cassie knows it'll be a long way until they heal. She doesn't even know if she'll ever fully forgive him.

But it's a start.

FIN.


End file.
